Designing for the Senior Surge: Makers of Appliances, Bath Fixtures Target Aging Boomers; Cooking for the Forgetful
By Lin, Sara; Wall Street Journal, p. W8Publication Date: April 25, 2008
Article reports on household products designed for aging consumers. Kitchen appliances described include the Delta Touch2O faucet, which turns on and off when tapped; refrigerators made by LG and Haier with 4 smaller-size doors including a top freezer drawer with shallow basket for easy access; the GE Profile Single/Double wall oven, with short doors enabling easy reach inside to move food in and out; The Dacor Discovery wall oven featuring a display panel with adjustable font sizes and color-contrast options as well as adjustable-volume alarm; the Thermador Sensor Dome electric cooktop which uses an infrared beam to monitor the heat coming from cookware and adjusts the burners; and the Bosch induction cooktop which sounds an alarm if liquid boils over. Other senior-friendly household devices discussed are a motion-sensor lighting-control system by Lutron Electronics that turns on night lights when a person gets out of bed; the Kohler Fountainhead toilet with an electric-blue night light and heated motorized seat and cover that rise with the touch of a button; and Flowban, a device that shuts off incoming water to faucets when the tub or sink is full. A photo accompanying the article shows a researcher at General Electric testing a product while wearing goggles that blur vision and gloves deadening the sense of touch to simulate disabilities associated with aging.
Assistive Products Discussed: BUILT IN WALL OVEN.
SINGLE BUILT IN WALL OVEN.
BOSCH 800 SERIES INDUCTION COOKTOP (MODEL NIT8665)
Published by: Dow Jones & Company, Inc. (Website:http://www.dowjones.com)
Link to text: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120908542602343631.html
